Sticks and Carrots

I have had a rough few days health wise. On Tuesday I had a visual migraine (my eyes wouldn’t work properly, and I could see weird floaty things all over). The good thing about visual migraines is that the pain doesn’t kick in for me until I am practically blind, so if I am quick I can hoof down my evil but effective pills and all will be well.

Which is what I did.

On Friday though I had a repeat bout with the migraine, this time with pain, but without visual weirdy stuff. I had lots of things to do, and hadn’t got time to take to my bed, so I ate some more of my delicious evil pills, and after a couple of hours of light lying on the CLD (TM) I was alright.

The universe in its infinite wisdom though has been trying very hard to squeeze my head in a ferocious pincer movement, come what may. It proves to me that my migraines are absolutely hormonal, as I have been suffering with lady business all week. These headaches are just the icing on the spectacularly gruesome cake.

I have much to report to the acupuncturist when I see her. More tweaking and stabbing is obviously required.

I was due to go to Bicester with the children yesterday to meet up with some friends. When I woke up, my head was splitting in two and the two halves were squabbling about whether they should cut the rest of me into quarters or eighths. I had a light breakfast of more pills and coffee, and then started to feel very sick indeed. So that was Bicester cancelled.

Last night we had tickets to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain in Milton Keynes, and the children were on a sleepover with granny. By dint of a shitload more drugs and some judicious sleep I made it to the gig, but only just. I had a crashing headache, so did Andrea, and Jason still hasn’t recovered from his neck injury and now has the children’s consumptive cough to cheer him up. We were a very tragic looking trio who limped into the auditorium.

We all agreed it was great, but it would have been a lot more fun had we not all been dying.

Nobody wanted to sit next to us.

Which suited our mood very well.

This morning I was due to go to mum and dad’s and then we were taking them with us to the Malvern flea market for the day.

I woke up with my headache again.

I was a bit desperate by this point.

I had a few more, different pills and rang mum to say I would pick the children up, but was in no fit state to get to Malvern without dying dramatically in a hedge. Nobody wanted that, so we agreed that we would go another time.

The children were a little disappointed, so on the way home we diverted via a local car boot sale. I have been trying to take them there for weeks, but it has always been rained off. When we drove past and saw it was actually on, we were determined to go and have some fun, even if it killed us.

The children agreed that if I keeled over, they would lay a cagoule over me and call Jason, so we had a plan.

We had a fantastic time.

The first thing I saw, on the first stall we encountered, was this:

An original run, Emma Bridgewater ‘Love and Kisses’ cup and saucer. To say I was amazed is the understatement of the year. You could have knocked me down with a feather. I was most excited. You hardly ever find Bridgewater at car boot sales or in charity shops, and this is a lovely pattern.

I added to my booty with this:

Royal Copenhagen plate. They did a series for mother’s day and this is one from 1973. I love the colours, and I have a later one in the series. It’s fab.

This is a ceramic beaker with butterflies on the inside. The ceramic is so thin that you can see through it when you hold it up. It is unglazed, and it’s rather like holding eggshell it is so fragile. It’s obviously modern, but it’s not marked, so I don’t know who made it, but I love it.

This came with this:

These are copies of works by either Picasso or possibly Matisse, (I think). What is wonderful about them is that they are stitched onto cloth. I love the work that has gone into them. They are simple and fabulous.

I really cheered up with this treasure stashed in the boot of my car. I love finding treasure.

The children had a fiver each and had great fun spending their money. Oscar spent tiny amounts on lots of things and came home with everything from plastic frogs and fluffy chicks to a remote control dalek and a small wooden mouse with no tail. He has spent a lot of time arranging a ‘treasure’ table in his bedroom since he returned. Tallulah bought a baby buggy and car seat for her best soft toy, Coco the rabbit. She spent the rest of her money on baby clothes, which fit Coco to a T.

Tilly spent her money on shoes and skirts, and t-shirts, and was well pleased herself.

The sun shone, my headache receded into the distance and we bumbled around happily for two hours without any shouting, aggravation or tragedy. It was perfect.

And then, on the way home, the heavens opened and it has poured all afternoon.

But we don’t care, because we are holed up at home, sitting on mounds of goodies like Silas Marner, and cackling gently to ourselves.

sorry to hear about the migraines, can’t imagine how it must feel. It’s funny to hear you talk about Milton Keynes, because I grew up, and my parents still live, in Leighton Buzzard, which isn’t that far from there. :)

Migraines: mega BOOO!
UOGB: giant YAY!
Car boot sales, FTW! I am scouting around the innernet for the lovely inyerface Jubilee celebration range from EB to drop reatly in price. Would adore a teapot – even the crown! – but *cough* not at what they were priced at. Or even what they were reduced to. Collecting china hurts the pocket, I’ve discovered…

*greatly* not reatly. Bastard WordPress (or Bastard Innenet Explorer?) doesn’t drop the gravatar in comment boxes for me anymore , so after line 3 I can’t see shit & I’m typing blind. Which may even up the intelligence quotient of my comments slightly.

I am utterly thrilled because I might have a Really Useful Comment for once. I think I know who made your butterfly beaker, because they sell the artist’s work at a local museum (she lives in the state) and I have always really liked it. I am linking to her butterfly work specifically but she does lots more neat stuff. Check it out.: http://laurazindel.com/store/collections/butterflies.html

Funny to think your piece might have come all the way from my area to yours!

Laurel
I love those pieces in the link you sent. I think they are slightly different than mine. Mine is the cheaper version by the look of it, but I absolutely love that site. Thanks so much for the link. I feel purchases coming on.

This Week I shall Mostly Be Reading

The Last Wild by Piers Torday; Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell; The Far Cry by Emma Smith; Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich; The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison; High Rising by Angela Thirkell; Constable & Toop by Gareth P. Jones; A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson; Garden Open Tomorrow by Beverley Nichols; A Screan in Soho by John G. Brandon; The A-Z of You and Me by James Hannah; The Time of My Life by Joanna Nadin; The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson; Lost & Found by Brooke Davis; An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David; The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore; The Sleeping Army by Francesca Simon; How Did All This Happen by John Bishop; Fathomless Riches by The Revd Richard Coles; The Woman Who Stole my Life by Marian Keyes; Dr. Yes by Colin Bateman